Back in 2010, a friend of mine from Scotland began posting "X Factor UK" videos on her Facebook page each week. They were from the live performances of a boy band called One Direction and she was asking everyone to vote for them. To be honest, I didn't think they would get very far. They seemed uncomfortable on stage, and they were awful dancers. However, they did sound alright together, were pretty cute, and had haircuts that reminded me of Justin Bieber, so I was intrigued by them for at least a few weeks before turning my attention back to bandwagons and fandoms that were already well-established in the US.
In February of 2012 when I had since forgotten about these five boys, I was in the car and a song came on the radio that I instantly fell in love with. Within two days of downloading "What Makes You Beautiful," I had played the track over 150 times. For whatever reason, it took me a while to make the connection between my Scottish friend’s videos from a couple years earlier and the band called One Direction who’s hit song was rapidly consuming my life.
That spring I found out they were coming to Denver and I knew I had to see them. On May 6, 2012, I ordered tickets for their concert in July of 2013—the summer after I graduated high school. For the entirety of my senior year I looked forward to July 24 and finally getting to see the band I was introduced to three years prior.
At the last minute though, my plans changed as I made the decision to take a graduation trip that conflicted with the concert. While I never regret opportunities to travel, I had to sell my tickets and miss One Direction that time around. My friends and family assured me they would return to Colorado soon, though, and I believed them.
Between July 2013 and October 2015, One Direction finished their Take Me Home Tour and went on two more world tours: Where We Are and On the Road Again. However, of these 89 additional tour dates, they never came back.
Granted, I did find small ways to see and hear them over the years. I was lucky enough to attend the MTV Video Music Awards in 2013, where they accepted a Moonman for “Best Song Ever.” Later that fall, my parents also went to the American Music Awards where my mom called me during their performance of “Story of My Life” so I could hear them through the phone.
But five years after I first watched them sing Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” on “X Factor UK," I realized I still had not been to a single one of their concerts.
That's why on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Sheffield, England, (almost 4,600 miles away from home), I joined a crowd of 13,500 to attend my first and last One Direction concert.
Normally I wouldn’t have endured two plane rides, a train, a taxi, spending all my summer’s work savings and navigating an unfamiliar city alone for one gig, but this one was particularly special.
Although the boys are scheduled to perform at music awards and Jingle Ball events over the next couple of months, their impending hiatus means they will not be touring for their fifth album, "Made in the A.M.," which comes out Nov. 12, 2015.
While many hopefuls are insisting they will be back after their break, this was a chance I was unwilling to take. And seeing as I had never been to a concert, this may have been my very last opportunity to see them in person.
On the night of their final show, Harry, Niall, Liam and Louis still seemed to genuinely enjoy sharing the stage together despite recent articles reporting animosity between them. (If you don’t know what I’m referring to just Google “Dan Wootton One Direction”).
To me, they were still the cheeky teenagers who would squeeze into a stairwell playing kazoos, answering Twitter questions, and wearing onesies for their "X Factor" video diaries five years earlier.
Though I’m sad to see them split, their experience together has been a nonstop whirlwind of recording tracks, producing albums, touring the world, promoting the band and making public appearances. I think they deserve however long a break they feel they need to take.
Since 2010, One Direction has released four (soon to be five) albums, won prestigious musical awards, sold out some of the world’s largest venues, had a total of 91 number ones, sold over 50 million albums and performed to over 7.5 million people.
They’ve become one of the most notable bands of this era—an icon in pop culture.
Five years later, they have complete confidence singing in front of big crowds, they have improved their stage presence immensely, and I’m happy to report that their dancing still sucks. And return as a band or not, that’s one thing I hope never changes.
If you're still scrolling and are curious as to what my experience was like, here are some video clips that I took at the show.
